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The German pianist, Pavlos Hatzopoulos, was born the son of Greek immigrants near Stuttgart. He began playing the piano at the age of 3 and made his first public appearance at the age of 10. He attended the Music Conservatories of Stuttgart and Würzburg from 1982 onwards, where he studied with Professors Lieselotte Gierth, Gerd Lohmeyer and Marta Sosinska. In 1984, a fracture in his right index finger seemed to have ended his prospects of a solo career. After two and a half years’ recuperation, though, he resumed and successfully completed his studies, attaining the master class diploma for soloists. He took several master courses in solo playing and chamber music with Andrzej Jasinski, Jannis Vakarelis, Thomas Brandis and Jürgen Kussmaul in Germany, Austria and Greece. He was awarded a scholarship from the Greek Embassy in Bonn in 1990.
During his studies, Pavlos Hatzopoulos took a close interest in the background story and interpretation of musical works. On this basis, he developed a form of lecture-concerts in which he takes his audience on a musical journey of discovery, giving them new insights into classical works and using the music to communicate ethical values and other messages. The ideas he explains and the combination of accomplished elocution with expressive and virtuosic piano playing distinguish him as one of the most extraordinary pianists of our time.
To date, Pavlos Hatzopoulos has concertized in Europe and the USA, as a soloist in solo recitals or with orchestras (including the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Arcata, "Mitglieder des Staatsorchesters Stuttgarts", Kammerorchester Esslingen) and as a chamber-music performer and vocal accompanist. In Germany he has performed at numerous venues, including the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the palaces of Gartow, Elmau and Forderglauchau. In 1994 the U.S. Senate invited him to play for Vice President Al Gore in Washington, D.C. Three years later he played in honor of the retired German Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker in Berlin, and gave a gala concert for the "Days of Greek Culture" in Stuttgart, which were sponsored by the Greek Embassy.
Pavlos Hatzopoulos has repeatedly performed works of contemporary Greek composers in Athens. In addition to his stage appearances, he also gives lectures on the interpretation of works of classical music.
The following German, Dutch, Greek and American television and radio stations have featured Pavlos Hatzopoulos in recordings and portraits: ZDF, Klassik Radio, Radio FFH, Rheinland-Pfalz Radio, SWR-Mittelwelle, Concertzender (NL), ET 3 (GR), WFCR (USA) as well as various local and regional radio stations.
During 2000 and 2001 Pavlos Hatzopoulos has appeared at: ABN AMRO Bank Stuttgart; Allianz Versicherungs-AG Stuttgart; Akademie Bayerischer Genossenschaften Beilngries; American Chamber of Commerce in Germany, Stuttgart; Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag 2001, Frankfurt/M.; Alte Oper, Großer Saal; Festeburgkirche; Hohenloher Kultursommer, Schloss Aschhausen; Klassik Radio Frankfurt/M.; Kloster Medingen, Bad Bevensen; Konzertgemeinde Oberrot; Kulturgemeinde Blaufelden; Konzertgemeinde Ostfildern; Kulturring Dannenberg/Elbe; Lions-Club Favorite Ludwigsburg; Lions-Club Heimsheim; Price WaterhouseCoopers Veltins, Stuttgart; Rotary-Club Hohenlohe, Kloster Schöntal; Rotary-Club Leonberg; Tasta-Tour 2000 Kirchheim/Teck; Wirtschaftsfördergesellschaft Schwäbisch Hall, Empfang der Wirtschaft. |
